Sociolgy question

Name

Professor

Subject

11 April 2008

Social Mobility : Analyzing the Costs of Winning the Lottery

Social stratification is defined as the clustering of individuals according to their access to wealth , power and prestige (Bergel 4 . On the other hand , social mobility is the ability of a family , group or individual to move from one social stratum to another . Using this definition we can say that winning the lottery can increase the wealth of an individual and change his or her social class . In countries such as the United States

, social class is related to economic wealth . An example of an individual in America who has moved up from his social stratum is Bill Gates . The amount of wealth that he has conceived caused him to move from the working -class family he was born into , to an upper class individual he was made into . This is called upward mobility wherein you move from a lower class to a higher social status

I will use this example to assess the changes that might occur upon winning the lottery . First of all I will compare the opportunities that can be accessed by a lower class individual to an upper class individual

The most significant of these opportunities is education . Although there is a public school system , higher educational opportunities are necessary in to pull away from the poverty line . For individuals and families who have a scarce amount of wealth , education becomes a lower priority . Higher priority is given to basic amenities much as food , shelter and clothing . In the long run , these families have lower levels of education and in turn might have less opportunity for a good job . Higher paying jobs require higher levels of education , so people who do not have access to education have a lower chance of getting a job with high salaries

In relation to this , we can see that people who have attained or inherited a higher social status usually remain in their social status because of the opportunity for a high paying job caused by the amount of wealth they have

The next opportunity deals with being a consumer . For people in the lower class , they have access to all the goods but the question is whether or not they can afford it . People in higher classes have the opportunity to choose between several brands of goods because they have enough wealth to purchase the quality and brand of goods that they wish to have

However , social mobility does not rely purely on economic wealth . Under the upper class we still have the old rich and the new rich (Novo rich People in the upper class do not accept the Novo rich that easily . Upper class families maintain their status alongside their lifestyle and activities that they perform . Changing one 's lifestyle cannot be done overnight . More so , an individual 's educational background cannot be changed . For example , upper class families in the United States can afford to send their children to private...